How to build a capsule wardrobe that can take you from work to weekend and beyond!

 If you’ve ever thought a capsule wardrobe wouldn’t work for you because your style varies so much depending on the occasion, we’re here to tell you that it is possible! The secret? Prioritizing versatile clothing pieces in your wardrobe. 

If you’ve landed on this blog post after taking the Encircled Capsule Wardrobe Quiz and receiving Capsule Chameleon as your result, keep reading to find out how to style the Capsule Chameleon Collection and build outfits for any occasion with just a handful of pieces. If you haven’t yet taken our Capsule Wardrobe Quiz, we highly recommend you do so! The quiz takes just a few minutes and will tell you your ideal capsule wardrobe type. You’ll also receive our Minimalist Wardrobe Workbook - an amazing step-by-step guide for how to define your ideal style, audit your closet and build the capsule wardrobe of your dreams. Click here to take the quiz and discover your capsule wardrobe type!

A Capsule Chameleon is someone whose wardrobe needs to be able to take them day to night, work to weekend and beyond with ease. You live a busy lifestyle, so a typical day might take you from work to a casual coffee date to a night out with little time for outfit changes in between. When so much is required from your wardrobe, we can understand why it might seem difficult to keep your wardrobe streamlined. For reference, a classic capsule wardrobe size is generally seen as 30-50 pieces per season with many pieces being able to transition between the seasons. However, there are no hard rules in building a capsule wardrobe so do what feels right for you! 

As mentioned above, the key to making your capsule wardrobe work for you is going to be looking for versatile clothing pieces. Versatility can present itself in two ways in your wardrobe: 

• Classic styles that can easily be dressed up or down and styled easily with other pieces. Think denim or a basic crew neck t-shirt. 
• Multiway styles that can transform from one style to another through snaps, straps and other clever design elements. For example, our Chrysalis Cardi can be worn 8+ ways, including a dress, cardigan, top and scarf.

In addition to looking for versatility in your pieces, another way to get more styling options out of your clothing is to focus on a capsule wardrobe colour palette. Our Minimalist Wardrobe Workbook goes into how to decide on your colour palette!  

Now that we’ve gone over what to look for in your wardrobe as a Capsule Chameleon, we put together some outfit inspo below using pieces from the Capsule Chameleon collection to show you how they can be easily dressed up or down!

The Dressy Sweatpant

(@kristisoomer wearing the Encircled Dressy Sweatpant)

Dress pants are typically an item in a women’s workwear wardrobe that don’t get much wear outside of work hours given how uncomfortable and stiff they typically are. The Dressy Sweatpants were designed to be the pair of work appropriate pants so comfortable that you actually want to wear on weekends or for lounging. Made from ultra-soft, sustainable modal fabric, these pants are a versatile style to take you from work to weekend and beyond with ease and comfort. 

The Comfy Button-Up Shirt

(@jessica.harumi wearing the Encircled Comfy Button-Up Shirt)

Similar to dress pants, a button-up is a wardrobe staple, especially for workwear. However, they’re often made from a stiff cotton blend with zero stretch resulting in an uncomfortable shirt that gapes and wrinkles easily. When you find a button-up that’s actually comfortable, we think you’ll find yourself wearing it a lot more as they look great as work wear but also styled more casually with jeans or shorts. Our Comfy Button-Up Shirt is made from buttery-soft modal fabric, so you get the classic look of a button-up with a more comfortable feel - and no gaping or dry-cleaning necessary.

The Evolve Top

(Left to right: The Encircled Evolve Top, Encircled Dressy Sweatpant, Poppy Barley Street Slide, Poppy Barley Envelope Purse; The Encircled Evolve Top, Encircled Comfy Wide Leg Pant, Nisolo Mule, Wolf Circus Hoops)

T-shirts are great capsule wardrobe basics, but it’s also important to have some tops that are able to provide a dressier look when needed. Choosing a top with an elegant drape or luxurious material will allow you to pair it with workwear or dressier pieces. Our Evolve Top is a great example of this, the drapey cowl neck and silky-soft material makes it great for work or going out, but it can also be styled more casually with leggings or denim. Did we mention it’s also reversible and has hidden snaps for three different sleeve length options!

The Sleeveless Breakaway Wrap Dress

(Left to right: The Encircled Sleeveless Breakaway Wrap Dress; The Encircled Sleeveless Breakaway Wrap Top, Encircled Comfy Linen Button-Up)

A wrap dress is a timeless style that can easily be dressed up or down, making it a great capsule wardrobe pick. Our Sleeveless Breakaway Wrap Top and Breakaway Wrap Skirt pair together to be your most versatile dress. Style separately or together, the top is fully reversible so you can wear it as a wrap top or scoop neck top. Swap your jeans for the Breakaway Wrap Skirt to go from day to night in no time.

The Everyday Twist Top

(Left to right: The Encircled Everyday Twist Top, Encircled Fair V-neck Tee, Encircled Dressy Sweatpant, Poppy Barley Mule; The Encircled Everyday Twist Top, Encircled Comfy Wide Leg Pant, Nisolo Mule)

Layers are key to any classic capsule wardrobe. They allow you to transition some of your more summery tops into the colder months of the year and can add interest to an otherwise basic look. We love the Everyday Twist Top because it’s drapey design adds an elegant layer to any outfit, but it can also be worn on its own as a top!

The Dressy Legging

(The Encircled Dressy Legging, Encircled Unblazer)

Leggings are great - comfortable, easy to style and seasonless. When looking for leggings for your capsule wardrobe, we recommend investing in a pair made from a softer material than traditional activewear leggings. Activewear leggings are typically made from polyester or nylon - not the most comfortable or sustainable, plus they don’t provide many styling options outside of athleisure given their sporty look. Our Dressy Leggings are made from super-soft bamboo fabric and feature elevated design details like style lines and pockets so you can dress them up or down while being incredibly comfortable.

We hope these outfit ideas provided you with some inspiration for building a capsule wardrobe that works for your capsule chameleon lifestyle.

Let us know in the comments which pieces you consider essential to a capsule wardrobe!